The Central government on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it is in the process of forming an expert committee to examine whether death by hanging is the most suitable and painless method to implement the death penalty.

Attorney General R Venkataramani told a Bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala,

"I proposed it (formation of committee) and we are gathering names now."

The matter will be heard in the second week of July.

The Court was hearing a plea filed by Advocate Rishi Malhotra to do away with death by hanging and to instead adopt alternative methods like lethal injection or electrocution, which he claimed were comparatively painless.

The plea said the Law Commission in its 187th Report had noted that there was a significant increase in the number of countries that abolished hanging and substituted it by electrocution, shooting or lethal injection.

“It had categorically opined that hanging is undoubtedly accompanied by intense physical torture and pain,” the plea said.

During a previous hearing, the Court had asked the Central government to furnish details on whether there is any data or study undertaken regarding the impact and pain caused during death by hanging and whether it is the most suitable method available today.

"If Central government has not done this study, then we can form a committee which can have experts from national law universities like NLU Delhi, Bangalore or Hyderabad, some doctors from AIIMS, distinguished people across the country and some scientific experts," the Court had said.